


Reptile Room

by limeta



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Gen, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape Friendship, Lily is a parselmouth, Parselmouth Lily Evans, Parselmouths, Parseltongue, Sane Tom Riddle, Sisters, Snakes, snakes will roast you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-22 15:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21079304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limeta/pseuds/limeta
Summary: Lily Evans is a parselmouth. She doesn't know what that means so all she has is her sister Petunia's angry name calling to listen to. The first person to tell her what she is happens to be a man named Lord Voldemort.





	Reptile Room

Lily Evans has an older sister named Petunia. She is a girl drowned in green envy. Their parents pretend not to notice.

Petunia likes to wonder about things that Lily can do and she can't. She wonders why Lily has more friends than her. Lily shrugs and says she likes people. Her sister twists her face up in a snarl at this and continues.

Why does Lily have green eyes and she doesn't? Lily shrugs and says that it's genetics.

Why does pretty Lily have red hair and she doesn't! They've both got the same parents! Lily shrugs and says it's a recessive gene and very hard to pinpoint. Petunia then rolls her eyes and says that she's got an answer for **everything**.

But Lily doesn't have an answer for everything, else she would have figured out why strange things keep happening to her. Sometimes when she's being very scared of the dark and of monsters her body will just pop and she won't be in her dark room, but instead will materialize just outside her parents' bedroom.

Petunia notices these things. She notices and _catalogues_.

Her parents don't suspect a thing. Petunia sees these freakish things that keep happening and knows of the boy her sister is befriending and knows that nothing good can come of it. She is the older sister and by god will she protect her pretty, perfect sister from herself if the need arises.

Lily has a secret. Severus, that blasted boy's name, has told her never to reveal to anyone the things she can do.

They're hiding in a garden a few streets from their house when Petunia finds Lily giggling. Severus is smiling at her like an idiot and it just cements the fact that he is a foolish little boy who has no idea that he's barking up the wrong tree. Lily is not a freak. Lily is simply better at everything than Petunia and this irks her. She isn't a freak. It's rude to say that about a sister and Petunia remembers all of the little gifts Lily has made for her birthday and Lily is _not _a freak.

A garden snake is coiled around Lily Evans' body and her little sister is hissing at it and cooing and marvelling. Severus looks at her in awe. He says that there's only one person in magical Britain that can do that. Lily is just about to ask who when Petunia makes her presence known with a cough to clear her throat.

''LILY!''

The snake angrily hisses at being startled. Lily hisses back to soothe it.

''TUNY!'' Lily grins and grabs hold of her hand to drag her down to the dirt with them.

Severus looks just about ready to sneer at her for intruding. Petunia sneers right back at him. Lily scowls at her two favourite people and tells them that this is wicked cool. The snake nuzzles against her sister's face and Petunia wonders.

''How come you can talk to snakes and I _can't_?''

''Because she's magic and you aren't.'' Severus Snape answers a cruel, truthful answer that makes Lily's soft answers and friendly words mean _nothing_.

''Oh I'm sure that's not it, Tuny. You can make coffee better than anyone I know! Everyone's got things that they're good at-''

Petunia lunges for Lily, not caring for the snake because rage overcomes her in this moment - her eyes are blazing hot red embers that BURN, ''But you're good at **everything**!''

Severus moves to protect her sister, but the snake is already doing that far better. It bites into Petunia's hand that's just about ready to strike Lily and the pain that cascades through her in that moment is beyond anything Petunia has experienced so far.

Lily screams. Severus grabs hold of Petunia and goes to find help, telling Lily to hide the snake.

Lily does. She hisses at it and from that day, Petunia can't remember Lily ever speaking to a free snake.

When Petunia awakes in the hospital her parents are there to nurse her back to health. It feels good to be in the centre of attention for a change.

Lily is sitting in a chair and crying, rubbing her green eyes and whimpering, hiding behind that red hair, and hissing things from time to time when reason leaves her.

Petunia hisses then.

Lily scrunches up her face because it isn't a proper hiss.

''Tuny?''

''_Freak.''_

* * *

After the incident Lily doesn't ever speak to snakes that she finds in gardens. Instead she tells the adults who are far more experienced to handle them. It's better this way. She begs Severus not to tell anyone about her gift and he nods and promises that he won't. Lily hugs him and calls him her best friend. Severus wraps his arms around her and holds her.

Severus looks more reverently at her since that time, but she doesn't know why. She forgets everything about snakes and magic for a while.

At least until her Hogwarts letter comes and a witch that can turn into a cat knocks on her door.

''Hello.'' Lily Evans whispers in awe at the sight of Minerva McGonagall.

''Hello, Miss Evans.'' Minerva greets warmly.

Her parents are completely enchanted and mesmerized by this turn of events. Their daughter is a witch! Their daughter is magic!

Lily doesn't want anyone to know about her serpentine tongue so she omits it.

Petunia glowers the entire time, but she keeps silent on the matter all the same.

Lily asks Petunia if she can be happy for her. ''It'd mean a lot to me, Tuny.''

''It'd mean a lot to me, too, if you weren't abnormal and a snake hissing freak.'' Petunia coldly replies. ''But we can't always have what we want, Lily. Get used to that.''

Once Minerva McGonagall leaves Lily breaks into tears and shuts her room's door and _cries_ and _hisses _and _hurts_.

To cheer her up, her parents decide to take Lily to the London zoo. It's said to have an amazing reptile room. Everyone knows that Lily likes snakes and wanted to be a herpetologist, but nobody knows why exactly.

Petunia says that she isn't going.

Her parents drag her to come with them because it's Lily's day and Petunia is her sister and they need to get along. Petunia narrows her not-green eyes and tells Lily that she'll only go if she gets to stay as far away from Lily as possible.

''You go and hiss at your stupid strings and I'll go in the aviary.'' Petunia does remind Lily of a vulture. She doesn't say this to her because it's rude, but it's a comparison that Lily feels represents her well.

''Okay.'' Lily concedes.

At the zoo Petunia is hounding their parents into going to the birdhouse with her. Lily manages to sneak off into the reptile room during that time. It helps that the zoo is crowded. She hopes her parents don't ground her.

''I'll tell them I got lost and went to the reptile room knowing that they would find me there at some point.'' Lily mutters to herself and enters the reptile room. The snakes are hissing at her entrance.

''_Ooh. Check this one out. Is it gonna tap on the glass and annoy us too?''_

''_It's unfair that I can't bite it. It looks delicious.''_

''_Go away you leg-thing!''_

''_There's too many of you in here! This is for snakes and speakers only!''_

Lily catches a glimpse of a man whose back is turned to her. He's ignoring her presence and is instead swirling a finger over the glass wall separating him and the most venomous snake in the exhibit. Lily knows her snakes and recognizes it as the Coastal taipan. She's always wanted to go to Australia if only to meet the snakes there.

The muted lights except for the ones emitting heat are a good change from the bright and confusing sunlight from outside. Here, things are calmer.

Lily goes to the curled up python that's dozing off. It comments how the little leg thing looks sad. In a way, this surprises the young witch because these snakes are much smarter and more aware of feelings than the one's she's spoken to as a little kid.

The witch doesn't deny it. She feels incredibly sad to have her sister hate her for something she can't help.

The python is staring at her and hisses its forked tongue in worry at her.

''_Why are you sad?''_

Lily smiles and pets the glass wall separating her and the snake. _''I guess because I'm different. Nobody I know can talk to snakes.''_

The snake scoffs. _''That's a stupid thing to be sad about. Why are all speakers so dramatic…''_

Mumbles from different snakes agree with the python._ ''**So **dramatic.''_

Lily smiles at the snake's reassurance that the only thing she ought to feel sad about is her lack of scales. _''What kind of snake doesn't have scales? Pft. Disgusting.''_

Even though she's being insulted, Lily giggles at the python that's hissing laughter at her laughter now, too. It's quite obvious the snake doesn't mean to be mean. It's just trying to lighten the mood. _''You're a horrible speaker. Even worse than the one staring at us over there in silence. Hey, you! You're ugly, too! Where are your scales?''_

Lily turns around to find the tall, handsome man standing close by. The coastal taipan is wrapped around his neck and hissing. _''Why are you standing speaker? Aren't we leaving?''_

''Hi, sir.'' Lily Evans has been taught to always be courteous and polite to her elders.

His eyes are deep red, like a snake's. Lily isn't afraid. She's just found out that she's a witch. She's magic and why would she be afraid of someone who is obviously magic, too. Instead of cowering the little girl stands her ground and outstretches her hand.

The silent man takes it and whispers in Lily's secret sibilant tongue that isn't so secret anymore: _''How do you speak this language, girl?''_

''_Lily.''_

''_Lily,'' _he amends and then repeats himself. He does not offer his name to her.

Lilly shrugs because she always shrugs at all questions first, then when she's thought of her answer she hisses it back with glee. This is her first time speaking to a human in the snake language! She's so happy because it proves that she isn't a freak and isn't alone!_ ''I've always been able to do it.''_

''_Are you a pureblood?''_ He asks her and she wrinkles her nose at the term, saying that she's just only recently found out about magic.

He asks her if she's adopted and she shakes her head, slipping her hand from his grasp. This man's gaze is intense, too much for Lily to handle. She looks down.

He softens it knowingly and says that it's a hereditary trait. Lily says that she doesn't have any magical relatives, then at his snort corrects herself, that she knows of.

''_There's always the chance that you're from a squib line. Sometimes magic resurfaces.'' _The man is thinking and trying to explain Lily's mere existence._ ''Squibs can carry the gene, but only magic can activate it. Yes, that's it. You aren't from a direct line like me, but...yes, that's got to be it.''_

''_Sir,''_ Lily says and pulls him out of his deep thoughts. _''What's your name?''_

''_I am Lord Voldemort.''_ he answers because this information hardly makes a difference when said in parseltongue. He teaches her the difference between parseltongue and parselmouth. One is the language and the other is a person. Lily nods, happy and thrilled to be learning things about herself. She asks him some more questions and the man looks at his wristwatch and mutters something about malfoys and meetings before giving Lily a smile and telling her that it's been a wonderful experience to finally talk to a parselmouth.

Lily grins widely. _''I've always thought I was alone.''_

''_Everyone feels like that.'' _the man dismisses her, but Lily doesn't seem to mind because she's speaking to a fellow parselmouth and this is the best gift anyone could have given her.

''_Why do you have the coastal taipan out of its terrarium?''_

''_She wanted to come home with me and terrariums are very small. I come often here when I want to unwind and not think about more important matters.'' _the man confesses. Lily likes that thought. Coming to snakes and talking to them when people become too much. It's reasonable. People, sometimes, are too much.

The coastal taipan demands to be taken seriously else it will start biting people. Undeterred, perhaps even indulgent, Voldemort pets it and croons at it to shush and that they're leaving in a minute.

On his way out Voldemort tells Lily that that peculiar gift isn't wise to broadcast given the current political movement in wizarding Britain. Lily nods, wondering why but not asking because the man is in a hurry and Lily will figure it out on her own.

''_Fight the hat for any other House but the one it wants you. It's old and thinks that blood will out.'' _Voldemort instructs the muggleborn witch. Slytherin would eat her alive. Especially now given the war they're embarking upon.

''_Okay.'' _Lily says, but already plans to figure out why because the man is being unnecessarily secretive. Dramatic indeed, the snake's words come to mind. _''Thank you for talking to me, sir! Hope we meet again.''_

Voldemort's lips twitch in a brief smile before he disappears from sight. Magic becomes more wicked and amazing as time goes by! They have _teleportation_! Lily can learn how to _teleport_!

As if on cue, her parents come with a bitter Petunia.

Her mum hugs her tightly and tells her she's been worried sick.

''Mum, I knew you'd find me. We talked about going to the reptile room.''

Petunia rolls her eyes. Lily snickers when a snake nearby her hisses: _''This one is most ugly.''_

Her dad ruffles her red hair and winks with his green eyes at her and she grins up at him.

''Hope you weren't bored, kiddo.''

''Of course not! I had someone to talk to.''

''Oh?''

Lily smiles conspiratorially just and says that he was a lover of snakes, too.

As they exit the reptile room, both her parents holding her in a vice grip so she doesn't wander off, little Lily Evans wonders if she'll ever see the parselmouth again.

She does.

On October 31 in 1981 when Lord Voldemort comes to kill her son.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy. Initially posted on September 15 2018 on FFNET. Now posted here.


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